


Centennial

by Missy_dee811



Series: Skylines [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Avengers Tower, Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Birthday Sex, Domestic Avengers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon, Smut, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:16:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5327099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy_dee811/pseuds/Missy_dee811
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve hits a birthday milestone and Tony surprises him with a party and a little something else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roachalk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roachalk/gifts).



> Can be read on its own.

"Good morning Ms. Potts."

"Hello, FRIDAY. Where's Tony?" said Pepper as she looked around the Tower. She knew it was empty but force of habit made her check the kitchen and living room, just in case. She knew the others were away visiting the Bartons. Steve had been disappointed when Tony told him he was staying behind, that he needed to do work, and that he’d join them later.

"Boss is still sleeping. Would you like for me to wake him?"

"No, that's alright. I'll wake him myself?"

Pepper walked into his bedroom, holding a mug of coffee she had prepared in the kitchen, hoping that would be enough for Tony to forgive the intrusion. Wisps of sunlight were seeping through the space between the drapes, illuminating the armchair and the ottoman, on which his tablet lay.

She turned to look at him; he had pulled the sheets up to the waistband of his pajama pants. A lopsided pillow was perched on his head. He looked peaceful and relaxed and Pepper rethought her decision to wake him up instead of having FRIDAY do it. His nose crinkled. He turned to lie flat on his back and reached up to move the pillow. Then, sitting up, he smiled at Pepper and quickly glanced at the still steaming mug she was holding.

"Is it my birthday? Breakfast in bed? Does Steve know about this?" he asked, brow raised, a smirk tugging at his lips. Pepper shook her head and passed him the mug. He motioned for her to sit down on the edge of the bed, which she did, next to the pillow that moments ago had been on his head.

"I think I should wait outside. I'll be sitting at the kitchen table," she leaned over to plant a kiss on his forehead and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Minutes later, Tony came out, dressed in black jeans and a black tank top that clung to his form. Still sipping his coffee, he tousled his hair as he walked. Pepper was clicking away on her tablet, her cup of coffee the lone dish in the sink.

"Well, to what do I owe the pleasure? It's Monday. I hate Mondays," said Tony as he took a seat across from her. She put down her tablet and looked up at him. He looked well rested. _Maybe he did need some time away from the team._

"Well, I've done everything you asked. As I'm sure you're aware, Laura and Clint offered their home so that we'd have time to prepare the Tower. I already ordered the fireworks. I met with the caterers and the bakers and it is all coming along well. I booked our taste test for this afternoon, which is why I came to wake you up."

Tony looked down at his watch, "Pepper, it's just past 10...”

"Yes, well, you didn't let me finish. The builders will be here in an hour. I thought you'd like to inspect their work since today's their last day," she said as she took out a file from her handbag and placed it on the table. It contained the blueprints and photographs.

"Pepper, you could've emailed me this."

"You said no paper trail, besides, I wanted to check up on you," she resigned herself to saying.

Tony crossed his arms and smiled smugly. "Did you come here of your own volition or does Steve think I need a babysitter?"

Hurt flashed across her eyes briefly, looking down at her perfectly manicured nails, she said, "Steve was worried, yes, and he expressed his discontent at you choosing work over him so close to his birthday. He doesn't suspect a thing, however, so you don't have to worry about that."

He began tapping on the table, a sign he was lost in thought.

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "Yeah, Steve's going to love this but he's also going to be pissed I lied to him. He'd never have agreed to this otherwise."

Pepper shrugged, "I think Steve has the right to be annoyed but I hope he'll take into consideration the fruits of your labor."

*~*~*~*~*~

They spent the rest of the day talking to builders, caterers, and bakers. It was evening when they returned to the Tower.

"Boss, Colonel Rhodes called," said FRIDAY as they walked into the penthouse.

Pepper turned to look at Tony, who only smiled.

"Call him back," he said to FRIDAY, as he took off his jacket and threw it on the sofa, beckoning Pepper to sit as he walked into the kitchen. He came back with two glasses of water and passed one to her, which she took readily, just as Rhodey's head appeared on the screen.

"Hey Tone, just wanted to tell you I got permission to do the flyby. You owe me one though. I had to pull all the strings... National holiday and what not."

"Sam too?"

"Yeah, I talked to Sam. He's onboard. Says you're out of your mind though." Rhodey laughed then looked over to see Pepper, uncertain but smiling.

Then, Carol came into view, sitting next to Rhodey, her blonde hair in a sleek Mohawk. "I hope you have enough room for another guest," she said, smiling. Tony returned the smile, "There's always room for my favorite pilot."

"Hey, you better watch it! I put my ass on the line for you, again!" said Rhodey, but he was still laughing.

Carol looked smugly at the man next to her, and then, speaking to Tony said, "I'm glad someone acknowledges my superiority."

The four continued to talk for a while. It had been a while since they had all seen each other. At a quarter past nine, Pepper got up and started gathering her things. "Well, Tony my part's done. The rest is on you," she said as she looked at him. He walked over to where she was standing, trying to put on her shoes with one hand, and hugged her goodbye.

Then, looking at the screen, she said, "I'll see you all at the party." With that, she waved to Carol and Rhodey and walked to the front door, closing it behind her.

Once she had left, Rhodey said to Tony, "It's a shame you couldn't stay to see them finish the beach house. Carol's sending over the pictures you asked her to take."

He flipped through the images she sent him as they talked. "Yeah, well, I didn't tell anyone I was in California so I couldn't stay long; I just wanted to be there so make sure it was coming along well."

"Tony," said Carol, "you were here less than four hours. You spent more time flying…"

Tony laughed and shrugged, "That’s irrelevant."

Carol glared at him, “You’re incorrigible, Tony. I hope you know that. Whatever… What do you think of the house from the pictures?”

“It looks fantastic, but then again, I designed it,” said Tony, grinning profusely.

Rhodey rolled his eyes. Carol just stared at him and then said, “Why do I even bother with you?”

They laughed, “Now, you’re starting to sound like Steve.”

Rhodey chimed in, “Well, can you blame him?”

Tony walked over and before disconnecting the call, said to them, “I’ll see you both soon. Don’t knock any pigeons off course.”

To which Rhodey responded, “Haha very funny. Leave the jokes to Barton,” just before the screen went dead.

*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you coming up tomorrow or am I driving these losers down?” said Natasha.

Tony laughed at her remark. He was distracted, for a moment, by the noises the kids were making in the background, “The Tower is ready. Carol and Rhodey are flying in tomorrow, but they should get here before us. Happy’s going to pick them up and Pepper will be here to greet them. The quiet was nice while –”

Natasha cutting him off laughing, “You’re one to talk. Do you know how much noise you make wielding in the middle of the night? You never sleep, and when you do, you fall asleep in your lab on top of your tools. Worse, you get up to make coffee at three in the morning. You know, some of us have day jobs.”

Tony just shrugged, with just a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, taking off the mask he had been wearing, which he had forgotten to remove at the beginning of the call. The irony wasn’t lost on him, “Fine. You have a point.”

Natasha smiled smugly at him, “Tony, you forget how well I know you.”

Tony didn’t respond. He just looked at his hands. They were filthy: covered in grease.

“Hey, it’ll all be worth it. Steve’s going to love the surprise. He might not like the fancy party, but we all know that’s for you. The surprise is for him,” said Natasha, quietly.

Tony looked into her eyes, responding earnestly, “Well, the party’s really just a distraction…”

“You boys are so cute. You act like I don’t know these things,” said Natasha, warmly.

Tony, without missing a beat, retorted, “I thought you only acted like you knew everything.”

Natasha shrugged, “And I thought you didn’t play well with others… I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t work yourself to death or Rogers will be pissed and none of us really want that,” she said before ending the video call.

Tony stared at his phone for a moment. There was a message from Pepper: _I’ll be at the Tower to receive the caterers and bakers. Happy has the flight information. He’ll be there to pick them up. Don’t forget to text me when you leave the Bartons. Relax everything will be fine._ _J_

He breathed in slowly. Pepper always knew what to say.

He had attended hundreds of galas. He had done hundreds, if not thousands, of presentations, both for the military and his company. He had sat through so many meetings over the years that he had lost count. He had admitted, on live television, that he was a superhero. Hell, he’d even given a villain his home address, provoking him outright, and yet, it was this – this surprise party – that had Tony shaking with fear.

“I’m sensing an elevated heartrate,” said FRIDAY, concerned.

“I’m just nervous.”

Deciding he wasn’t going to get any more work done today, Tony put his tools away and made his way upstairs. Midway up the stairs, he decided to check out the surprise on which he had been working.

“I’ll just be downstairs for a while. Forward any calls.”

“Yes, boss,” said FRIDAY, in her customary cool tone.

He made his way across the penthouse and descended a few floors until he reached his location. The elevator doors opened.

_It’s done._

He knew it was as good as it was going to get. He was rather excited for Steve to see it. He had never made Steve anything like this before and he wasn’t sure how he was going to react.

The moonlight shone through the long windows, overlooking Manhattan and the East River. There was a long couch, with plenty of pillows strewn across, and a few throws neatly stacked on the edge. There was a long bookshelf, lined with books, along one wall. There was a small coffee table in the middle of the room, with magazines stacked on top of it.

However, none of those things made the room extraordinary.

What made the room extraordinary was what had kept Tony awake the last three nights.

He had hoped that Steve would appreciate this. It had taken a considerable amount of skill. Tony knew he could do it – obviously, he had finished it – but not without difficulty. He relished in the challenge it provided.

He crossed his arms as he looked at it.

_I guess I can call it a masterpiece._

The moonlight to his right illuminated the easel, paints, and paintbrushes sitting on the desk. In the drawers were pencils, charcoals, oil pastels, sketch pads, and all the other art supplies Tony had ever seen Steve use, even if only on one occasion.

The desk hadn’t been difficult to construct. It was just a matter of paying attention to Steve’s needs: how he sat when he sketched, how his body angled a certain way. How much he craned his neck in one direction. The way he played with and used natural light. His posture.

Finding the right floor had been the hardest part. He poured over the blueprints for the building for weeks and spent the following days scouting empty floors and unused areas, looking for the perfect combination, before settling on this particular space.

The whole idea behind the space – not just the desk – was for Steve to have somewhere to call his, a place to which he could escape. He could get away from Tony, the Avengers, or anyone else. There was a special key code on the door, which Steve could change at his discretion, so that no one could just barge in uninvited.

Tony sat on the chair he had built and put his palms on the desk. The smoothness of the wood was welcoming. He thought back to the nights he spent polishing the tinted wood. He tried to imagine Steve sitting there and smiled, softly, to himself.

The construction crew had been surprised to hear that Tony wanted to build the desk himself. They were even more shocked when he told them they were to leave the longest wall, adjacent to the windows, unfinished.

He looked up at his masterpiece. He was normally quite confident and proud of his work, but this – this was different. With the moon shining on it, it brightened up the whole room. It was a stroke of genius and in less than 24 hours, Steve would get to see it firsthand.

Tony felt his heartrate accelerate and decided it was best to get some rest. The mind started to do funny things once you’d been awake over 72 hours. He hadn’t spent so much time awake since after the Battle of New York. He still had nightmares but he didn’t fear sleep anymore – not that that meant he was sleeping regularly, but he was no longer deathly afraid of closing his eyes.

No, what had kept him awake all those hours was the current object of his attention.

“Well, beautiful, let’s hope Steve loves you as much as I do,” and with that, he strode back to the elevator and made his way back to his bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

“Please tell me you dorks are not seriously fighting over shotgun,” said Natasha, exacerbated, as she walked over to the car where Tony, Steve, Sam, and Bucky were standing.

Sam and Bucky were standing in front of the passenger’s side door, arguing over shotgun. Bucky had his metal hand on the doorknob and Sam was standing in his space, pleading with him. “If you rip off the door, I’m sure Tony over here won’t be too happy.”

Tony raised his brow but Steve and Natasha laughed. Bucky glared at him then let go.

“Don’t you think Steve should take shotgun?” said Natasha, diplomatically, with her arms folded over her chest, just a few feet away from Sam and Bucky, a small smile playing on her lips as she briefly glanced at Tony, who returned the gesture.

Bucky chimed in, “Listen, I don’t care if Rogers hasn’t seen Stark all week. I’m not sitting in the back seat with bird boy.” Wordlessly, she passed Bucky her duffle bag and he threw it in the trunk.

Steve closed the trunk, after reorganizing their luggage, and walked over to Tony, who was leaning against the door on the driver’s side. He had his arms crossed and was trying to suppress his laughter.

“I told Steve he can ride wherever he wants,” said Tony, deviously grinning at Steve, who put his head in his hands.

“Guys, does it really matter?” said Steve, starting to get annoyed now.

“OH, you’ve managed to piss off Captain America, good job boys,” said Natasha sarcastically, positioning herself in the middle seat in the back. Reluctantly, admitting defeat, Sam sat on her left and Bucky sat on her right. Steve took his seat in the front next to Tony, who placed his open palm on Steve’s left knee and squeezed lightly.

Once everyone was seated, Tony lowered the top on the convertible, and turning to look at Natasha said, “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

She rolled her eyes but laughed.

They joked and teased all the way back to the city. By the time they had crossed the George Washington Bridge, it was late evening. Bucky and Sam got out first and continued the argument they had started in the car. Steve got out and followed them. Natasha hung around and waited for Tony.

She grabbed his wrist, and together, linking arms, took the elevator up. “Don’t worry, they know better than to go in without us.”

Tony looked at his nails as she spoke. She turned to look at him and titled his head. “Tony, it’ll be fine. Relax. Enjoy yourself. You deserve this.”

He took a deep breath and walked out of the elevator, Natasha closely behind.

Sam, Steve, and Bucky were standing in front of the door, waiting. Sam spoke first, “Seems FRIDAY changed the codes on us while we were gone.” Tony nodded, not trusting his voice. He walked over, typing in the new code. Thinking to himself, _‘Well, it’s now or never, Stark,’_ as the doors swung open and Pepper came into view.

She hugged Tony, and turning to look at the others said, “You’re back!”

Natasha smiled and hugged her next, commenting on her impeccable suit. Steve was next to hug her, then Sam, and last but not least, Bucky. She opened the door and stepped to the side.

Steve’s jaw dropped. 

The first thing that caught his eye was the giant cake on the table. He started to walk toward it and he couldn’t help but laugh. There was a giant shield emblazoned with an equally large 100 where the star would have been. He turned to look at Tony, who was standing next to him apprehensively.

“You didn’t have to do this, Tony.”

“Oh, but I did. It’s not every day you turn 100. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity,” said Tony grinning.

Steve couldn’t help the heat rising to his cheeks, “Tony, I’m thirty.”

“Um, excuse me, but your birth certificate says you were born in 1918… that was 100 years ago. I know you’re pretty spry for an old guy,” said Tony, winking at Steve, “but if you’re thirty, that makes me a predator, and if you’re really 100, then I’m much too young for you.”

Steve had been too busy looking at Tony as he spoke, that he failed to see the two people walking up behind him. 

“Please, your ages… Not even the weirdest part of this whole relationship. Let’s cut to the chase and cut this cake,” said Rhodey, patting Steve on the shoulders and hugging Tony.

“Captain Rogers, it’s been quite some time,” said Carol, startling Steve, who looked both pleased and surprised to see her.

“It’s nice to see you too, Carol,” said Steve as he hugged her.

Natasha, Bucky, Sam, and Pepper had walked over to join the small group congregated at the table. They started talking amongst each other. Steve walked around the room and took in all the decorations.

The penthouse looked as it always did: immaculate. The soft light pouring through the windows at this hour highlighted the simple beauty of this living space. A younger Steve would have had a hard time believing Tony could have designed and built the Tower as a love letter to those he held near and dear, but Steve knew better now.

He could only imagine the argument between Tony and Pepper, each offering their vision of how the suite should look. Tony would want to make it as outlandish as possible and Pepper would want it to be simple yet elegant. The result was an apartment that looked modern and sleek while vaguely reminiscent of a bygone era. It reminded Steve of how his mother used to decorate their home.

He briefly wondered if Peggy would have done the same.

“Pepper, you outdid yourself,” said Steve as she approached him sheepishly. She blushed in response and shrugged it off, “It was all Tony’s idea… I just put it together. He’s the mastermind. You should really thank him,” she said as she pointed to the aforementioned genius, who sat on the sofa with a glass of water in his hands.

As he was making his way over, Bucky caught his attention from across the room, “Ha! Look at these! They’re actual popsicles but… of you! You’re actually a ‘Capsicle,’” says Bucky doubling over with laughter. Natasha punched him in the shoulder but even she couldn’t help but giggle. 

Steve looked over at Tony, who was still sitting on the sofa sipping from his glass. He just shrugged and grinning ruefully, said, “What? I told you already: I couldn’t resist. There are three different flavors: blue raspberry, cherry, and coconut, if you want to try them all.”

At that, Steve walked over to Sam, who held one out for him, smirking as he said, “Hey, if you want any more, they’re on your left.”

At some point, Carol and Rhodey joined Tony on the sofa, bringing with them a plate of sandwiches to share with their host. After a few minutes, Pepper joined them. The four laughed and joked. Steve found himself transfixed and couldn’t get his eyes off Tony. Natasha and Bucky, who were sitting only a few feet from him, were playing poker on the kitchen table, firing insults and thinly veiled threats at each other in rapid Russian. They were much too busy to notice the way Steve stared at Tony.

Sam, who had been outside on the balcony, walked over to Steve.

“Either walk over there or call him over, but don’t just stand here looking like that –” 

“Looking like what,” retorted Steve.

“Like a fucking lost puppy,” said Bucky, without taking his eyes off the cards in his hands.

“It’s kind of pathetic, Rogers… We already lived through this once,” said Natasha as she put down her cards. “Royal flush. What now, James?”

“Natalia, you may have won this round, but don’t get cocky… I always have a trick up my sleeve,” said Bucky.

They both turned to look at Steve, who was still staring intently across the room at Tony. Natasha, having seen enough, dragged Steve out onto the balcony, “Just wait right here.”

She walked over to Tony and whispered something in his ear. He excused himself and walked over to Steve. “It’s a beautiful night,” he said as he wrapped his arm around Steve’s waist and pulled him closer. “I’m sorry, I – I got caught up talking to Carol and Rhodey.”

Steve could tell Tony was nervous but he didn’t know why.

“I – I have something to show you, Steve, come with me,” said Tony, gently grabbing his wrist and leading him across the kitchen, ignoring Bucky, Natasha, and Sam’s stares, as he headed for the elevator.

“Tony, where are we going,” asked Steve once they were on the elevator. Now that they were away from any prying eyes, he started to undo Tony’s tie. Tony grinned but stopped him, “Later.” Nonetheless, he pulled him in for a deep kiss. Tony ran his hands along the back of Steve’s neck, through his hair, as Steve pulled him closer, and held him by the waist. It had been a long week and it was evident that both men sorely missed each other.

They pulled away just as the elevator opened. Tony, never one to miss a beat, covered Steve’s eyes and led him out into the room. They had walked a few feet before Tony said, “Happy birthday,” as he dropped his hands.

Steve couldn’t believe his eyes. He was standing in the middle of his own studio replete with a sofa, cushions, a coffee table, books, records, a record player, and his very own desk.

He walked over to the desk and opened all the drawers to find that each one had been filled with all the right supplies. He sat on the chair, which swiveled, and turned to smile at Tony, who was standing next to him, studying his expression. He looked over and saw the skyline and the East River up ahead. He imagined the views he’d be able to catch if he came down at just the right time.

It took him a moment to notice that there were no artificial lights. The only lights were those that came through the window, which at this late hour, were from all the billboards. As he turned back to face Tony, he caught sight of it and immediately felt guilty for not noticing it sooner. He stood up to take a better look at it, and brushed his fingers along the wall.

“Tony. You – you did this?” said Steve, looking at Tony with a mixture of incredulity and adoration, “Tony, this is – this is the greatest thing I have ever seen!” He walked over and, wrapping his arms around his neck, pulled him in for a kiss.

Tony had painted a mural of the New York skyline as seen from the Brooklyn waterfront. They both knew this vista well. Upon moving back to New York, Steve had taken it upon himself to rediscover Brooklyn. He quickly learned that the waterfront had been updated and that there was a park at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Steve had expanded his run to include it much to chagrin of his running partners, namely Sam and Natasha.

There were fireworks shooting off the Brooklyn Bridge, the Freedom Tower glistened in the back, illuminated by the fireworks, the Statue of Liberty – a small but imposing presence in the harbor, and finally the Avengers Tower, on which stood two men: one outlined in blue and the other in red.

“Today we celebrate America but I choose to celebrate you. You have been the best thing to happen to me. I grew up idolizing you, thinking I’d never measure up, and I won’t lie – I still feel that way because now I know that you really do live up to your reputation. You’re Captain America but you’re also Steve Rogers, and I have the privilege of waking up next to you every day and of being the reason you’re exhausted at night. Steve, happy birthday. I know you’ll never truly be comfortable in the future but I hope I’ve made it a little bit more bearable. I – I love you.”

Tony as he looked into Steve’s very vivid blue eyes as he dropped to his knees, “It never felt like the right moment, but I’m tired of waiting. I need an answer. Steven, will you marry me?” 

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on [Tumblr](http://lavengadoraaa.tumblr.com).


End file.
